I know you hear it all the time… how time goes by so fast when you have children. How it seems like you just got pregnant or you just brought them home from the hospital. And even though you have heard it a million times it is so true! I look at old pictures of my sweet Ella and wonder where has the time went? Sometimes I sit and try to remember how she talked and what she said and I can’t… that scares me to death. I hate to think that I will forget her sweet little voice or her laugh when she was a little toddler. The memories do fade but with images and video (which I do not take enough of) I hope to remember bits and pieces of those sweet early days. Watching them grow older is so bittersweet. On one hand I am happy to be out of diapers, doing well in school, independent and able to somewhat take care of themselves BUT along with that comes the loss of that sweet little thing that used to toddle around the house, the first giggles and funny pronunciations of new words and worse yet the new kid attitude I often experience. 
Sometimes I wonder if she is 6 or 16?!?!?
I will admit though that Ella has always been peaceful and easy. She has always brought a bit of balance to my crazy household. She is loving and caring, sweet and cuddly, silly and goofy all in the same breath. And she is beautiful on the outside every bit as much as she is on the inside. I just adore our time together with the camera. And as she has gotten older she has definitely learned to tolerate it more. Often I get images of her that simply take my breath away. I mean I know she is mine but still!
For her Birthday Party last week the theme was everything Ella loves… so I will sum it up some her favorite things here.
She loves…
animals (of any kind)
flowers
bugs
clothes
jewelry
her friends
her family
the beach
shells
things that smell good
to eat
to laugh
sleepovers
AND LIFE!
I was digging through my old images of her and found this one… one of my faves of her. She is 2 here! So how did she go from this…
To this!
It blows my mind how much she has changed. Here are a few more of her most recent images.
First from her party…
And yes that is my daughter holding a turkey. She was so proud of herself.
and some from our couple of mini sessions we had before her birthday.
And this one speaks to me somehow.
I love how the focus is on the footprints in the sand and
how she is running ahead but out of focus. It reminds me of how they grow more independent
by the day but I keep focusing on the trail they are leaving behind.
Happy Birthday Sweet Ella! We love you!
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